David Pastrnak recorded a goal and an assist to reach the 500-point mark for his NHL career to lift the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
Pastrnak had missed the previous eight games due to injury.
Taylor Hall and Trent Frederic also scored goals for the Bruins (48-25-5, 101 points), who have won three of four following a Thursday loss in Pittsburgh and snapped New York’s four-game win streak.
Also returning from injury were Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark, who made 30 saves, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm.
Boston scored one goal in each period.
Mika Zibanejad scored the lone New York goal. Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves for the Rangers (51-22-6, 108 points).
Pastrnak scored the opening goal with 35 seconds remaining in the opening period. The top-scoring winger buried a one-timer off Charlie McAvoy’s feed through the slot.
Ullmark stopped all 10 shots he faced in the first.
Hall doubled the home team’s lead 1:07 into the second, outracing Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren and beating Shesterkin with a wrister upstairs.
The Rangers got a goal back on the power play at the 2:58 mark as Zibanejad ripped a shot from just outside the crease, taking a feed from Chris Kreider after a scramble in front.
Boston gained its two-goal advantage again at 9:37 as Frederic benefited from a fortunate bounce, following up a Craig Smith shot that took a long carom off the back wall.
Boston failed to score on three power-play opportunities and is in a 0-for-32 drought over the last 10 contests.
The Rangers played without Filip Chytil, Andrew Copp and Kaapo Kakko, who are all day-to-day and expected to return for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston salvaged the final of three regular-season meetings with its Original Six rival.
–Field Level Media